Faceless Shadow
by HylianRegalia
Summary: Modern take on the Legend of Zelda. Warnings of Link x Dark Link NOT YAOI - shounen-ai. Link is just a regular kid at Castle Town High with a dark secret he's held within himself for years. But, when a new student shows up will that secret finally come out into the open? And will Link be sent on a journey to find out the answers he's always been seeking? T for violence/language
1. Chapter 1

_Hello! This is my first fanfiction and I'm so excited!  
>Normally, I prefer to readwrite Zelda fanfictions in their normal eras  
>but I've recently read a few modern ones that inspired me.<em>

_There's still going to be action and some temple visits because I, myself, would  
>be devastated if I completely removed that part of the stories so no worries!<br>I plan to have one update weekly but bear with me as I'm in college and it  
>takes a lot out of me! Honestly, I'm exhausted even now so we'll see how it goes!<em>

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything Legend of Zelda related (other than my own video  
>games but you get the idea).<em>

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><p><em>Everything was dark. But it was cold. When I breathed out I could vaguely see a puff of cold air swirl up before my eyes before it dissipated and then all was unseeable once more. A shiver ran through my body but this time it wasn't from a cold. To my left, a shadow moved so I whirled around to get a good look and my voice caught in my throat. The figure before me was nearly as dark as the rest of my surroundings, their face hidden from me. It was the glint of silver in their hand that caught my eye.. as well as the thick shade of red smeared across the sharp point of the blade. My eyes immediately looked down to the red heap lying in front of the knife wielding stranger. Suddenly, the silver blade flashed then disappeared, as did the man before me. Everything was black once again but for the figure lying bloody on the floor. The lifeless face of my mother staring back at me.<em>

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><p>Sucking in a large breath, I sat upright, my body trembling with fear as sweat rolled down the side of my face. I breathed in deeply, trying to catch my breath as I ran my hand through my hair. <em>It was just a dream<em>, I tried telling myself, though I knew it was only partially the truth. I'd been having similar dreams nearly every night for as long as I could remember but no matter how many times I'd had them... it was something I'd never be used to. I shook my head to rid of the thoughts and tossed the covers off of myself, standing from my bed. My heart was still pounding but I tried to ignore it as I left my room to the washroom down the hall. Closing the door behind me, I turned the faucet on and splashed cool water on my face, the feeling instantly calming me down a bit. I gripped the counter and looked up into the mirror. My golden locks fell upon my forehead messily, a few strands sticking up in the back but for the moment this didn't bother me. My cheeks were slightly red from the panic of the dream but it was returning to its normal colour gradually. My blue eyes were staring back at me and I scowled. They were the same eyes that stared at me in my dreams and though they were my mother's eyes, I still hated seeing them.

"Tsk." I turned my attention back towards the running water to wet my fingers down, using the water to correct a few strands of my hair, only looking back in the mirror to fix my hair and push my bangs to the side. Avoiding the gaze of my own eyes, I turned and headed back to my room to get dressed for school. I stripped out of my previously worn boxers from the night before and slipped on a new pair before pulling on a pair of black jeans that loosely hugged my legs as well as a deep green sweater with a matching green beanie hat that slouched slightly in the back of my head. I never pulled it all the way forward, preferring to pull it half-way onto my head so the sides of my hair and bangs hung freely. It wasn't exactly the correct way to wear it but I thought it looked better so I didn't really care what anyone else thought. Besides, if what Sheik always told me was true, girls seemed to like it (not that it really mattered to me) so it couldn't be that bad. I pulled on a pair of black shoes last then left my room and headed downstairs into the kitchen where my dad was already waiting for me with breakfast ready.

I sat at the table, careful not to look my dad in the eyes as I could see the faintest show of concern upon his face as he set a plate down in front of me. Great. This morning's dream must have been a particularly vocal one. Pushing that thought aside, I looked down at my breakfast, pancakes, bacon, and eggs, and picked up my fork to begin eating quickly so I wouldn't be late for school. And to get out of this awkward morning situation. After washing my dishes and leaving them to dry on the dish rack, I though I was free but just as I went to pick up my bag and car keys...

"Lincoln..."

I sighed heavily, turning toward my dad as I slung my bag over my shoulder. "Yeah, dad?"

"Have a good day at school-"

"Alright, dad." I turned back around and walked toward the door, stopping when my dad spoke again.

"Oh, and, Link." He paused for a moment as I heard his footsteps coming closer to me. "You forgot lunch money." He smiled slightly, amused at my thoughtlessness and handed me twenty rupees which I accepted gratefully. Mumbling a thank you and hearing him tell me to drive careful, I left out the door and hopped into my car, sliding the keys in the ignition as I threw my book bag onto the passenger's seat. I put the car in gear and backed out of the driveway, sighing heavily as I began driving to Castle Town High. At least it was Friday.

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><p>Okay so short first chapter but don't worry because I just wanted to<br>get into the groove of things. I normally write super long chapters so be excited for that!  
>I hope you all like it so far, there's not much to it but as for Link's "secret"...<br>it's not much of a secret to us, now is it haha but it's a secret to other characters!  
>Rate and review if you'd like, I'm not a huge hound for reviews but they are appreciated3<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

_So I put up chapter two pretty early because I was just excited so, yeah!_

_Enjoy!_

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><p>My first class was pretty boring and I often times fell asleep, much to my teacher's dismay but it was Hylian and I already spoke the language so what was the point in really paying attention? I'd made it all the way to eleventh grade without paying it much attention and I'd done just fine. Ms. Fi wasn't exactly the most irritable teacher and seemed to have a hard time showing any emotion, let alone scolding me for sleeping, so the class to me was just a much needed nap time. My next class on the other hand...<p>

"Hey, Link!" I stumbled slightly as I left the Hylian classroom from Sheik throwing his arm over my shoulder and leaning his weight against me. "Ready for some chemical explosions?!"

I chuckled and shrugged his arm off of me. Sheik and I had caused some... rather unfavourable outcomes during our chemistry lab but I blamed Sheik for them. He was the one always screwing around but, I supposed I never did anything to stop him so...

"Let's try not to get suspended today, okay, Sheik?" I grinned.

"Suggestions, suggestions! You need some more excitement in your life, Linky."

I rolled my eyes at this, opening my locker once we reached it. "You're enough excitement as is. Always getting me into trouble." Which was completely true. Sheik had a habit of forming... ideas. And thy never ended up being good ones.

"You know you love my company. Besides, you go along with it." He smirked and slammed my locker shut right as I pulled out my books. I jumped slightly and punched him on the arm with my free hand. He was laughing even though he nearly took my hand off and I couldn't help but chuckle as well.

"Fair enough but quit trying to fatally injure me! Go get your shit and meet me at the classroom."

Sheik didn't say anything but nod and pranced off happily. I rolled my eyes at his cheerfulness, never quite understanding what it was that made him such a morning person.

A few minutes later, Sheik and I were in the chemistry lab, sitting at one of the stations and talking about nothing in particular as we waited for the class to start.

"We need to do something this weekend, Link. Something exciting and cool!"

"As long as it doesn't involve death or injuries, I'm in," I deadpanned.

"I make no promises." Sheik grinned then place his hand over his heart. "But, I promise that I will make a whole-hearted attempt at coming up with a PG, family friendly activity for us to share in partaking together." He batted his eyelashes, trying to look as innocently as possible.

I lightly shoved him, laughing lightly. "Shut up, you idiot. What exactly did you have in mind?"

Sheik sat up straight from his slouched position and grabbed my shoulders, looking me right in the eyes. "Zant and Vaati are throwing a party this weekend and I thought it'd be the perfect opportunity for... Vengeance." Sheik smiled evilly and I glared at him.

Zant and Vaati were a bit more on the popular side and were particularly cruel to me and, by extension, Sheik as well. It wasn't like I was unpopular or anything, it was some type of pathetic hatred they had for only goddess knows what reason. They often called me a 'soccer playing fagged' which, they were football players and for some reason unknown to me, footballs players seemed to assume that soccer was a sport for 'the weak'. And I was the team captain of the soccer team so Sheik claimed it wa a natural hatred but I thought that was stupid. I'm pretty sure the whole soccer thing was just one of the many reasons they hated me but I never really cared all that much as to the reason. They were jerks. Period.

Just as I was about to yell at Sheik for the sheer stupidity of such a plan, the classroom door opened and Mr.. Byrne walked in with a tall, black haired boy trailing behind him. The rest of the students fell silent as Mr. Byrne cleared his throat, gesturing to the boy beside him. "Class, this is Cerin Kaage, he's a new student and I want you all to be nice to him. Cerin, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"

The dark haired boy turned to face the class and lifted his head up to reveal a pair of piercing red eyes that I found myself unable to tear my gaze away from. He was a rather handsome boy, clean shaven, no acne and porcelain pale skin in fact... he sort of looked like..

My thoughts were suddenly scattered as those red eyes connected with mine and my heart started to hammer against my chest. What was wrong with me? After a moment, I tore my eyes away from Cerin's and wiped away a bead of sweat that had formed on the side of my face. Sheik then nudged me with his elbow and whispered "You okay, man?"

"I-"

My response was cut short as Cerin began to speak, his voice deep, "Not much to tell..." he said awkwardly, shuffling his feet.

Mr. Byrne chuckled. "Alright fair enough. I'm choosing lab partners today and, Sheik.." He glared over in our direction and pointed accusingly at Sheik, "you and Link will not be partnering together after that last disaster."

Sheik gave his best innocent look and pointed to himself, trying to look shocked as he said, "Why, me? I'd never do such a thing, sir."

The whole class chuckled and Mr. Byrne pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "Sheik, you're with Cerin, Link you're with Pipit now switch seats so we can get started."

Pipit was in the front of the classroom and Sheik and I were in the back so I picked up my things and as I walked down the isle to sit next to Pipit, I brushed shoulders with Cerin and turned my head to look at him. He was also looking at me as he sat down besides Sheik and I felt my face grow hot, nearly stumbling as I reached the empty seat besides Pipit. My face burned even more intensely at this and I quickly turned my head away from the strange boy, taking my seat and quickly opening my chemistry book to follow along as Mr. Byrne spoke I managed to keep my thoughts away from Cerin and the weird feeling he gave for the rest of the class. The lab went well, no mishaps or accidents (even from Sheik, surprisingly) and I quickly packed up my books as the bell rang, hurrying out of the room before Cerin could even cross my line of vision.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I whirled around quickly, sighing when it was only Sheik. "Woh, dude. I haven't seen you so worked up, what's the deal?"

"It's nothing," I lied. "Don't worry about it, I just... I don't feel very well."

Sheik shook his head and looked at me accusingly, clearly not believing me but dropped the subject anyway. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited Cerin to chill with us, he seems like a pretty cool guy and he doesn't have any friends here so-"

"You what?!" I yelled a little too loudly and a little too quickly.

"Chill out, Link! What's your deal?"

Honestly, I had no answer for him and I was probably just being silly. I rubbed the back of my neck and laughed nervously. "Sorry, I'm just having an off day. You're right, he seems cool, I can't wait to meet him." It wasn't that I disliked the boy or anything, if anything, I really did want to meet him but something about him just made me feel... nervous.

"Alright, if you say so. But, hey, I'll see you after school. I'm eating lunch with Zelda and you know how her and Malon don't... exactly see eye to eye," he said carefully.

I nodded in agreement. Zelda was Sheik's younger sister by one year and Malon was a friend of mine and Sheik's and they didn't exactly favour one another. Sheik told me it was because they both thought I was cute but that just sounded ridiculous to me. Normally Sheik ate with Malon, Saria, Midna, Colin and me but every once in a while he would eat with Zelda -mostly when he needed a favour from her or just wanted to talk.

"Oh and, Link?" I looked up at Sheik once more, my face questioning. "I'm letting Zelda take the car after school so if you don't mind would you like to meet up with me and Cerin after school and we can leave from here?"

"Oh, yeah sure. Meet me at the front doors and we'll-"

I suddenly felt a rough force shove into me and I hit the wall of lockers behind me. "Watch where the hell you're going, faggot." I turned my attention toward the voice and scowled at Zant who was standing in front of me, rubbing the shoulder he'd hit me with.

"I wasn't even moving, dumbass. Maybe look before you walk." I was in no mood to mess around with Zant or Vaati, who was standing behind the taller boy, glaring at me with his crimson eyes. Vaati's eyes made my mind wander back to Cerin's and I pressed my lips into a thin line as I felt blood rush to my face. The thought, however, was wiped from my mind as my head slammed into the lockers and I nearly crumpled to the floor from the shock of it, my skull now pounding from the sudden pain. I glared at Zant and shoved him. "What the hell is your problem?" I shouted.

"You're my fucking problem, you little bitch!" Zant went to shove me again but I moved out of the way and he stumbled into the lockers. I really had no desire to fight him; looking over at the shocked face of Sheik, I went to grab his arm so we could leave to our next classes but Vaati suddenly grabbed me by my arms and held them behind my back, giving Zant the chance to punch me in the face. Warm blood gushed from out of my nose and I furrowed my brow in anger, struggling to get out of Vaati's grip when Zant was suddenly on the ground. Vaati released me and helped up Zant who glared in my direction. "This isn't over, Link." He cupped his eye as he and Vaati scurried off and I then glanced over at what had knocked Zant to the ground.

Cerin stood before me, a worried expression on his face as he watched me sink to my knees, groaning as I clutched my nose. As shocked as I was to see that it was the dark haired boy whom came to my rescue, I couldn't be bothered with that strange fact as my nose and head hurt much too badly. Cerin was at my side in no time, his hand on my shoulder and Sheik's on my other one. He'd apparently snapped out of his shock and decided now was a good time to help me. My head was spinning slightly and my confusion as to why Cerin had risked getting in trouble and his own safety to help me didn't make it any better. I really just wanted to lay down and forget about the whole fight.

"Hey, Sheik, I'll take him to the nurse, you can go ahead and get to class. I'll tell them he has a bad headache and got a sudden bloody nose," Cerin said calmly. I was grateful for the fact he wouldn't mention there'd been a fight to the nurse.

Sheik must have agreed because I heard footsteps begin to fade and I felt myself being lifted into strong arms. I looked up to see the pale face of Cerin but at the moment it didn't bother me. I really just wanted to clean up my nose and take a nap so I leaned my head against Cerin's chest, closing my eyes gratefully.

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><p>I awoke to something soft cradling my head and a thin blanket lying over top of me. The object beneath my head was obviously a pillow but not the object I last remembered lying on... I sat bolt upright, suddenly remembering the fight and Cerin chasing Zant and Vaati away. But, where was I now? How long had I been unconscious?<p>

"Oh, you're finally awake." I turned my head to see a woman wearing a pale yellow blouse, a tan skirt and a long white lab coat over top of it. Her strawberry blonde hair fell in soft curls to her breasts and her blue eyes seemed to be examining me carefully with a small smile on her pink lips. "How are you feeling?"

My head only ached dully, not enough to really bother me and I reached up to touch my nose - only a soft pang of discomfort when I touched it so, I realized with relief, it must not be broken. "My head aches slightly but I feel fine other than that."

The woman - the school nurse, I assumed - fixed me with a stern gaze before pulling up a chair next to the bed I was not sitting up on. "Your nose is bruised, which leads me to believe it wasn't just a simple nose bleed. I know you were in a fight, Link, for what reason Cerin told me otherwise, I don't know." I froze, I hadn't even considered the possibility of my nose being bruised but I supposed in the haze after the fight, I hadn't been thinking straight and neither had Cerin. But, I couldn't blame the kid. He was two hours into his first day at a new highschool and already he was breaking up a fight - for a stranger no less! I was grateful but at this moment I was also a bit nervous. I didn't want to get Zant or Vaati into trouble; it would only make things more difficult down the road. Sensing my discomfort, the nurse sighed. "I can't make you tell me what happened but I wish you would."

I ignored this statement and that whole conversation all together. "How long have I been out?"

She sighed again, realizing I wasn't going to say anything. "It's fifth period right now. I have lunch for you if you're ready to eat it. By the time you're finished it'll be sixth period and you can go back to class if you'd like." I nodded and she gave me one last stern look, as if silently begging me to tell her what happened, and when I gave no response she turned and left, only returning again to hand me a tray of food before leaving again.

Grilled cheese, tomato soup, some mashed potatoes and a cup of milk. Luckily, she'd picked out things that I enjoyed so I started eating the grilled cheese, dipping pieces into the tomato soup as I did. I looked around the room as I ate. There were a total of five beds, each with a track holding a curtain above it for privacy if needed. I was the only occupant as far as students but I could see the nurse at the other end of the room sitting at a desk and doing paperwork. The room was boring and white other than a few dumb posters that had tips of wellness that you often saw in doctor's offices . I noticed there was also a small plastic cup on my tray and I picked it up, finding two small orange pills inside which I assumed was for any pain I may be feeling. I shrugged and popped the pills into my mouth, taking a drink of milk to help with swallowing them. I finished my food quickly enough and, as she had said, by the time I was done the bell rang.

I slid off of the bed and walked the tray over to the nurse's desk. "Uhm, what would you-"

"I'll take care of it," she cut in, a polite smile on her face.

"Oh, er, thank you," I said awkwardly, realizing I didn't even know the nurse's name.

She seemed to understand what I was struggling with as she said, "Nurse Emma and it's no problem. Are you sure you don't want to tell me what happened?" I shook my head and she sighed - like she did every other time I refused. "Alright, then hurry to class."

I nodded once more and hurried off to my next class.

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><p>The rest of the day went by quickly enough. I only had two more classes after I left the nurse's office anyway so I was relieved once the day was over and it was finally the weekend. After dropping off my books at my locker, I walked to the front of the building and out into the cool fall air, smiling at the light breeze. Adjusting the beanie on my head I looked around for Sheik and found him sitting on a bench next to Cerin. I took a deep breath; of course I was nervous! I hadn't even met the boy yet and he'd already risked his own safety for me - not to mention I'd found it perfectly fine to snuggle up against his chest and take a nap. I blushed furiously at the thought before I heard Sheik call my name. He was now standing up and gesturing for me to come over to the bench where he and Cerin sat. The dark haired boy was looking at me as well, his ruby eyes boring into mine with a kind smile on his face. I took a deep breath and walked over to the bench where they were sitting whereas both of the boys stood up at my approach.<p>

Sheik threw his arm around my shoulders like he normally did and laughed, "Glad to see my boy back up on his feet! See what I mean, those guys are real bastards; they deserve some revenge!" Sheik pumped his fist up in the air, his eyes alight with excitement.

I didn't respond, simply kept my gaze upon Cerin, trying to come up with something to say. Sheik noticed this and immediately switched gears. "Oh yeah, sorry! Cerin, this is Link. You guys kind of met earlier while Link was getting his ass beat," he snickered and I shot him a glare.

"I don't like to fight.." I mumbled in my own defense. "But, uhm... thanks for earlier, Cerin. You really didn't have to do that."

The dark haired boy shrugged. "It's not a big deal. I saw what happened and you're Sheik's friend so I figured I should help out. Afterall, two against one isn't very fair." He grinned and held out his hand, waiting for me to take it. "It's nice to actually meet you, Link."

I hesitantly took his hand and shook it, slightly taken aback by how cold his hand was but it was strangely relaxing and helped ease my tension away. After a few seconds Sheik coughed and I realized Cerin and I were still holding hands and I released my grip quickly, embarrassment taking over. I must have been imagining it but I could have swore I saw a glint of disappointment within Cerin's eyes but I dismissed it as soon as the thought even occurred.

"So... How are you feeling, Link?" Cerin asked innocently.

I shrugged my shoulders. "My nose is a little sore if I touch it but my headache is going away so I feel fine for the most part. Come on, let's head to my car and we can figure out what to do tonight from that point on."

Sheik and Cerin followed me out to my car which I unlocked and we gathered inside. Sheik sat in the back with Cerin - much to my surprise and I audibly groaned. "Oh come on, I am not a chauffeur."

Sheik cleared his throat and with his best higher class accent said, "Now, now, Reginald, one does not complain in front of royalty."

"You're about as Royal as my toenail," I scoffed. In the back seat, I could hear Cerin stifling a laugh which made me grin at my dumb joke. "Not even the big toe. My smallest one. You're barely even worthy of that."

Sheik huffed. "You're still the chauffeur, Reginald."

"Actually, I'll sit up front with you, Link."

I turned my head to see Cerin opening up the back to to switch seats and chuckled when Sheik spread his arms wide. "Who's side are you on?" he yelled.

Once Cerin was in the seat beside me, I smirked. "Looks like he's on my side, Sheikah."

"Ah, shove it." Sheik stuck his tounge out and crossed his arms, pouting. Unsurprisingly, this only lasted for a moment before he bounced back and placed either arm on either of the front seats. "So! I have an idea on how to get revenge on Zant and Vaati!"

I groaned. "Sheik, we've been over this, I-"

"Come on, Link! You're the captain of the soccer team, you've broken the school record for scored goals in one season so I know you've got a wicked kick and I've seen you fight before! I don't know why you just take it from those guys, besides, I didn't say anything about physical violence, now did I?" Sheik smiled and I saw that glint in his eyes that I always saw before he was about to say something entirely stupid that he thought was brilliant.

Cerin cocked his head to the side curiously, "Explain this to me: why do those guys hate Link so much?"

Sheik looked thoughtful for a moment and I sat back in my seat. This should be good. "Well, I think they're jealous that he has such a dashing best friend... But really.. We don't really know. They're always calling Link a faggot and making fun of him for being on the soccer team. Apparently they think it's a sport for pussies but they've always just... kind of hated him."

"I think they deserve what's coming to them," Cerin said.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Sheik shouted. "Come on, Linky, you can't back down now! At least just listen to my idea?"

Rolling my eyes, I reluctantly agreed.

"Great! Drop me off at my house and you two can hang out at Link's place for a little bit while I prepare!" Sheik slouched back into the backseat, his eyes shining even brighter with stupidity and I sighed.

"Fine, but I'm not agreeing to anything yet." I put the car in gear and headed off toward Sheik's house, stopping right in front of it. He only lived two blocks from me so it wasn't a far drive at all. Apparently he'd meet us at my house in an hour so as soon as he hopped out of my car, I drove off and pulled into my driveway and killed the engine. "Well," I said as I looked over at Cerin. "Here we are. Home sweet home."

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><p>Okay so we have a bit more developments but nothing crazy exciting at this point<br>Cerin is obviously Dark and the name Cerin means 'little dark one' so I liked it a lot and it's pronounced "S-ear-in"  
>Let me know what you think!<p> 


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